Vitex mombassae Vatke

Verbenaceae, B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1992

Morphology General Habit

Much-branched shrub or small tree 1.2–6 m. tall, with white, grey or reddish brown corrugated or fissured bark which becomes stringy, less often smooth.

Morphology General Shoots

Shoots more slender than in species 13, densely orange ferruginous velvety with more adpressed pubescence but sometimes more snaggy in some areas (e.g. T1).

Morphology Leaves

Leaves 3–5-foliolate; leaflets elliptic, 0.5–13.5 cm. long, 0.5–5.5 cm. wide, shortly acuminate (always in young apical leaves) to broadly rounded or rarely emarginate at the apex, cuneate at the base, with scattered pubescence above, ferruginous velvety beneath with tangled hairs but sometimes glabrescent; venation impressed above, ± bullate and finely reticulate beneath; petiole 2–5.5 cm. long; leaflets sessile or central leaflets with petiolule 6–7(–10 in T4) mm. long in longest leaves or all leaflets petiolulate even in small leaves in some areas (e.g. T4).

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences ± 4 cm. long, densely ± adpressed ferruginous; peduncle 2–5 cm. long; bracts narrowly oblong to oblanceolate, 1.1–1.8 cm. long, 3–4 mm. wide, acuminate, glabrous inside.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx densely ferruginous hairy; tube 3.5–4 mm. long; lobes 1.5–2 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla pale blue, pale purple or blue-mauve with throat and the smallest lobes creamy white; tube 7–9 mm. long, pubescent outside; larger lower lip 0.8–1.3 cm. long, 0.7–1 cm. wide, sometimes yellow at base, hairy in middle; small lobes round or triangular, 5 × 3–5 mm.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens exserted 5–9 mm.; filaments rather stout, micropapillate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Style exserted 5–9 mm. Ovary densely pubescent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruits dark purple, globose, (1.5(T4)–)2–3.2(–3.5) cm. diameter, ± slightly pubescent at apex. Calycine cup 1.5–1.7 cm. long, 1 cm. wide, ± venose, distinctly toothed, pubescent. Dried mesocarp a dense mass of fibres.

Figures

Fig. 9.

Habitat

Scrub and thicket, Hyphaene, Albizia, etc., Sterculia, Pterocarpus, secondary bushland, Brachystegia woodland, often on rocky granite hills; 20–1580 m.

Distribution

K7 T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8

Flora Zambesiaca. Vol 8, Pt 7. Avicenniaceae, R. Fernandes. Nesogenaceae, M.A. Diniz. Verbenaceae, R. Fernandes. Lamiaceae, R. Fernandes. 2005.

Type

Type from Kenya.

Morphology General

Much branched shrub or small deciduous tree up to 8(17) m tall; bark grey-brown, fissured becoming stringy; older branches grey-brown or red-brown pubescent; young branches and twigs densely orange-tawny lanate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences axillary, of few-flowered simple dichasia, 4–12 cm long, shortly orange-tawny villose or lanate with ± densely tangled pilose hairs; bracteoles 0.8–2 cm long, narrow-lanceolate or narrow-spathulate Inflorescences axillary, of few-flowered simple dichasia, 4–12 cm long, shortly orange-tawny villose or lanate with ± densely tangled pilose hairs; bracteoles 0.8–2 cm long, narrow-lanceolate or narrow-spathulate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx obconical, 5-lobed, gland-dotted, lanate outside, strongly accrescent in fruit; tube 3–4 mm long; lobes 2–3 mm long, erect Calyx obconical, 5-lobed, gland-dotted, lanate outside, strongly accrescent in fruit; tube 3–4 mm long; lobes 2–3 mm long, erect.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla c. 23 mm long, gland-dotted, villose with tangled pilose hairs and gland-tipped hairs outside, gland-dotted; tube creamy-white and mauve, 12–13 mm long, curved; lobes at acute angle to tube, middle lower lobe mauve, 6–7 × 6.5–7 mm, other lobes creamy-white smaller and rounded or triangular Corolla c. 23 mm long, gland-dotted, villose with tangled pilose hairs and gland-tipped hairs outside, gland-dotted; tube creamy-white and mauve, 12–13 mm long, curved; lobes at acute angle to tube, middle lower lobe mauve, 6–7 × 6.5–7 mm, other lobes creamy-white smaller and rounded or triangular.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary obovoid, truncate apex and lanate at the apex, gland-dotted; style c. 14–16 mm long, exserted

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit an edible spherical drupe, dark brown to purplish-black at maturity, c. 4 × 3 cm, globose, the lower end not or hardly enclosed in the enlarged calyx; fruiting calyx at first somewhat cup-shaped up to c. 1.5 cm long and c. 1 cm wide, later opening out becoming saucer-shaped, shortly toothed, puberulent, sometimes gland-dotted. Fruit an edible spherical drupe, dark brown to purplish-black at maturity, c. 4 × 3 cm, globose, the lower end not or hardly enclosed in the enlarged calyx; fruiting calyx at first somewhat cup-shaped up to c. 1.5 cm long and c. 1 cm wide, later opening out becoming saucer-shaped, shortly toothed, puberulent, sometimes gland-dotted.

Ecology

Deciduous woodland and thickets on Kalahari Sand and on escarpments and rocky outcrops, and in wooded grasslands; 300–1800 m.

Note

  V. mombassae and V. payos can appear very similar – being similar in leaflet indumentum, inflorescence structure (though often much denser in V. payos ), leaflets broadly lanceolate and often sessile and inflorescences often shorter than the leaves.  However, V. mombassae usually has much more delicate branches, petioles and peduncles.  The leaflet upper surface is bullate in V. mombassae and smooth or slightly bullate in V. payos , the flowers are much larger in V. mombassae (lower lip c. 6–7 mm long and 2–3 mm in V. payos ) with clearly exserted stamens, the bracteoles are lanceolate to spathulate in V. mombassae and linear in V. payos and the calyx teeth c. 3 mm long in V. mombassae and c. 1.5 mm long in V. payos .   V. angolensis Gürke is cited as occurring in Caprivi Strip by Bredenkamp & Botha (Bothalia 26 , 2: 146 (1996)), but no specimens from there have been seen.   V. pooara Corbishley was merged, wrongly in my opinion, with V. mombassae by K. Coates Palgrave in Trees South. Africa: 810 (1977).  For further details on V. pooara see discussion under ‘Doubtful Record’ below.

Distribution

Also in Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Dem. Rep. Congo, Angola, Namibia and South Africa (Limpopo Province). Caprivi Strip.

Morphology General Habit

Much branched shrub or small deciduous tree up to 8(17) m tall; bark grey-brown, fissured becoming stringy; older branches grey-brown or red-brown pubescent; young branches and twigs densely orange-tawny lanate.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves 3–5-foliolate, aromatic when crushed; petiole 1.5–9 cm long, terete; petiolules absent or up to 0.6 cm long in median leaflet; leaflets 3–10 × 1.5–6 cm, elliptic to somewhat obovate, rounded or in apical leaves shortly acuminate at the apex, broadly cuneate to rounded at the base, entire, coriaceous, ± sparsely pubescent above, shortly lanate on the nerves and reticulation beneath or glabrescent, gland-dotted beneath, venation impressed above and the blade ± bullate, nerves and reticulation raised beneath. Leaves 3–5-foliolate, aromatic when crushed; petiole 1.5–9 cm long, terete; petiolules absent or up to 0.6 cm long in median leaflet; leaflets 3–10 × 1.5–6 cm, elliptic to somewhat obovate, rounded or in apical leaves shortly acuminate at the apex, broadly cuneate to rounded at the base, entire, coriaceous, ± sparsely pubescent above, shortly lanate on the nerves and reticulation beneath or glabrescent, gland-dotted beneath, venation impressed above and the blade ± bullate, nerves and reticulation raised beneath

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens exserted from corolla tube; filaments with glandular hairs. Stamens exserted from corolla tube; filaments with glandular hairs

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Ovary obovoid, truncate apex and lanate at the apex, gland-dotted; style c. 14–16 mm long, exserted.

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/147270371/147270373

Conservation

LC - least concern